In video compression, there are typically requirements that need to be met regarding bandwidth and storage space. Depending on the available bandwidth and/or available storage space, the extent of the compression process may need to be varied. One of the variables that affects the extent of compression is the quantization parameter (QP). Encoding video frames using different QPs will result in different compression results. A lower QP may result in a larger file size, while a higher QP may result in a smaller file size.
As a result the encoding process may go through multiple iterations as it searches for the appropriate QP, i.e., the QP that will result in a desired file size. This may be a resource-intensive process. The number of machine cycles consumed in this iterative process may consume excessive time and power; while an acceptable file size may result, the process may be inefficient and costly.
In the drawings, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.